


Operation Parent Trap

by gray_autumn_sky



Series: Parent Trap [1]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-10
Updated: 2016-08-10
Packaged: 2018-08-07 23:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7734346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gray_autumn_sky/pseuds/gray_autumn_sky





	Operation Parent Trap

“But mom, that doesn’t make any sense,” Henry sighs, giving her a look she knows all too well. 

His brow is furrowed and his jaw is tense, and his deep brown eyes are staring at her intently, signaling to her that he won’t be backing down any time soon. It’s a look that’s vexed her since he was a toddler, stomping his feet and refusing his bath and pushing away plates of vegetables he wouldn’t even attempt to try. And it’s her own fault really—he’s learned this from her.

“You love him. And he loves you. What’s the problem?”

“The problem is that he’s _married_ , Henry,” she spits out in frustration, her voice louder than she wants it to be. But she can hardly believe this is conversation that she’s having with her thirteen-year old son—and more than that, that it’s a conversation they’ve had multiple times.

“Henry,” she begins again, taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling, making an effort to sound as detached as possible in hopes that the more rational she sounds, the more persuasive she’ll be—and then he might finally drop this topic once and for all. “Robin made his decision, and his decision was to honor is vows and give his marriage another try.” She sighs and tries to muster a smile. “And as hard as it is for me to admit, he made the right choice.”

But Henry shakes his head, “You guys were _so_ happy, though.”

“I know,” she admits in a small voice. “But things change. The timing was just…off.”

“You _deserve_ to be happy, Mom.”

At that she smiles, reaching out and touching her fingers to Henry’s chin. “I am happy, Henry. _You_ make me happy. I just need a little time to…”

“You miss him, right?” Henry cuts in.

She looks him, watching as his eyes narrow and his brow arches, sizing her up and practically looking into her soul—yet another characteristic inherited from her and yet another characteristic he has no qualms about using against her. She shifts uncomfortably and takes another breath.

“Admit it, Mom. You miss him.”

“Of course I do, but…”

“And _he_ misses _you_.”

“I don’t see wh…”

“Mom, he still loves you. And if you’d just listen to…”

“ _Henry_ ,” she interjects, her voice growing louder as her frustration mounts. “I _did_ listen to him. I listened to him tell me that he wants a second chance with his wife. I listened to him tell me that he would have once walked through fire for that second chance.” She shakes her head and swallows hard, swallowing the lump that’s forming at the back of her throat in an attempt to keep her tears at bay. “I listened to him tell me that whatever we had between us was over.” With a sigh, her voice softens. “I _did_ listen, Henry.”

“Then why does he keep calling? Why does he keep showing up? Mom, we go to Granny’s every Thursday for dinner, and you can’t tell me that you haven’t noticed that Robin is always there, drinking coffee and looking at you like a lost puppy.” He sighs loudly as she looks away from him. “And if he wants a second chance with his wife so badly, why is it that whenever they’re together they just fight?”

At that, her eyes dart back to his, curiosity getting the best of her. “How do you know that?”

“Roland,” Henry says easily. “And everyone else in town has noticed it.” She watches as a smirk forms on his lips. “Everyone but you, apparently.”

She stifles the smile she feels tugging at the corners of her mouth, not wanting to admit that there’s a small part of her that’s holding onto hope for them, that wishes there was still a chance for them.

“Your cereal is getting mushy,” she says finally, tipping his spoon toward him. “And if you don’t hurry up and eat it, you’ll be late for school.” She grins, watching as Henry takes the spoon from her fingertip, sighing and letting his eyes drop to the bowl of cereal before him as he realizes the conversation is over. She stands up, smoothing her skirt and at least today, she feels like she’s won…though, she’s not entirely sure why.

__

Henry’s seated at the counter at Granny’s, his homework splayed across the counter and a plate of half-eaten fries in front of him; and when he hears the bell on the door jingle, he looks up, interested in any distraction from his algebra. He smiles, watching as Roland trudges in, lowering a small bow and tucking an equally small arrow back into the holster on his back.

“What’s with the bow and arrow?” He asks, laughing softly as Roland looks up at him with wide, proud smile.

“Protection,” Roland replies, gingerly sliding into the open seat beside Henry. “I’ve never gone anywhere all by myself.”

Henry laughs, but Granny looks up, looking between them with a cocked eyebrow. “So your mama and your daddy don’t know that you’re here and not at the camp?”

“They never notice _anything_ when they’re fighting,” Roland says, his smile fading as she shakes his head. “And this time, it’s all my fault.”

“Oh, I hardly believe that,” Granny tells him, as she pours a fresh glass of soda and slides it toward him. “Why don’t you tell us what happened?”

Roland rests his chin on the edge of the glass, casting his big brown eyes up toward Granny. “I lost my monkey.”

“The one my mom gave you?”

“Yeah,” Roland says with a nod toward Henry. “And we found him, by the river, but I was scared that he was lost forever, and mama said that we could just get another one,” he sighs, his little shoulders rising and falling as though they carries the weight of the world. “And then I said we couldn’t because he was from Regina and he’s special.” He looks up at Granny, “ _Then_ they started fighting.”

“And that set her off, huh?”

Henry watches as Granny takes a long breath; he can tell there’s more that she wanted to say, and though she’s holding her tongue, the disapproval of her tone and demeanor isn’t something she even tries to hide. Slowly his eyes turn to Roland, watching as he sips his soda. “Can I ask you something?” He waits for Roland to turn to face him. “Do you think your dad misses my mom?”

“I know he does,” Roland says without even batting an eye. “And, I do, too.” He offers a sad smile, “I miss the way things were.”

“Oh, honey. The _whole town_ knows that Robin Hood’s been pining over your mother for _weeks_ ,” Granny cuts in as she leans against the counter and looks between the boys. “And your mother’s no better,” she adds with a sigh.

A slow smile forms on Henry’s lips, “It’s really too bad we can’t just…lock them in a room and let them sort out their feelings for each other.”

Granny offers a hearty laugh in return, “You don’t think your mother would just magic her way out of the room?”

“Not if she actually _wanted_ to be there,” Henry replies, his smile broadening. “Hey Roland, want to help me with a little project?”

Roland’s eyes light up, “What project?”

“A little something I’d like to call Operation Parent Trap.”

___

Roland giggles and Henry holds his breath as Regina enters the diner—knowing that their plan is fragile and everything has to happen at the perfect time or it won’t happen at all. Her brow is furrowed with concern and the worry in her voice is evident as she presses her palms to the counter and asks about his whereabouts. Granny looks up, smiling softly as she explains that Henry had a little dizzy spell and is resting in a spare room down the hall.

“Third door on the left,” she instructs with a nod toward the bedrooms, and quickly Regina disappears into the hallway.

“One down, one to go,” Henry whispers, and again, Roland giggles.

And then, right on cue, the bell on the door jingles and Robin enters. “Where’s Roland?” He asks, his expression matching Regina’s as his voice piques in concern.

With a quick glance down the hallway, Granny turns to him, buying a few necessary seconds of time. “Poor little thing was all tuckered out by the time he got here,” she says, smiling gently as she fishes for the room key. “Why don’t I take you to him?”

She offers the boys a wink as passes around the counter to lead Robin down the hall toward the bedrooms. “He’s just in there,” she says, after they’ve gone half way. “Third door on the left.”

Henry and Roland come around the counter in time to watch Robin turn the door knob; and no sooner than he does, Granny is behind him with the key in the lock, locking them into the room.

“Well, it’s all up to them now,” she says, as the boys exchange smiles. “Why don’t we treat ourselves to some cheese fries while we wait this out?”

___

Hearing the door open and close, Regina steps out of the bathroom, “Henry!?”

“I’m afraid not,” Robin says, letting his eyes move slowly from the lock to Regina. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

“Wh-what are you doing here?” She asks, her heart fluttering at the sight of him—his blue eyes staring intently at her, looking at her in way that he has no right, given the circumstance.

 “I thought I was here to collect Roland, but…” She watches as a slow smile forms on his lips, “But apparently, our sons had something else in mind.” He nods toward the door. “I can hear the pair of them giggling in the hall.”

She blinks a couple of times as it finally sinks in—the whole thing was a rouse. “I-I’m sorry,” she beings. “This has Henry written all over it.”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Robin tells her, his voice soft and his eyes still locked into hers. “I…it’s good to see you.”

Her breath catches when she tries to speak, and no matter how hard she tries, she can’t seem to pry her eyes from his. And as easy as it would be simply remove herself from the situation, she makes no move to do it—the thought barely enters her mind.

He laughs gently, “So, I suppose we’re…stuck.”

“I suppose we are,” she murmurs back.

“And what do you _suppose_ our sons expect to come of this?”

“Well,” she beings in a tentative voice, thinking back to her earlier conversation with Henry. “I think the thought was that if they trapped us together, we’d be…forced to admit our feelings for each other, as if…”

“Then, perhaps we should.”

Her mouth is suddenly dry and she shifts uncomfortably on her feet—that wasn’t something she’d expected him to say—and once more, she finds herself unable to make a move. He steps toward her and all she can do is watch.

“I miss you, Regina,” he says, his voice soft and his eyes sweet as he reaches out and touches fingers to her hand. “I miss you so, so much.”

Swallowing hard, she looks down at his fingertips pressed into the back of hand, sending a tingling sensation across her skin. Slowly, she looks back at him. “I miss you, too,” she finally says, her voice barely more than a whisper as his fingers slowly slip around her hand.

“I was wrong before,” he says plainly. “I thought the best thing I could do for my son was honor the vow I’d made to his mother—but there was two, rather significant problems with that thought.”

“Oh?”

“You see, the first problem is I’m not the same man who made that vow,” he begins, as his thumb swirls around her wrist and their eyes remain intent on one another. “And the second problem is that my heart’s moved on, it belongs to someone else.”

A smile twitches across her lips, “It does?”

“It does,” he tells her, stepping closer.

She feels the small shard of hope that she’d been hanging onto growing, swelling in her chest and making her heart flutter. “What about your wife?” She hears herself ask, trying not to ground them in reason and reality. “What about your family?”

“I tried—we tried—but as I said, we’re not the same people we once were and we can’t expect to just go back and pretend that years haven’t passed. And if I’m being completely honest with myself, I wouldn’t want to go back.” Reaching up, he brushes the back of his hand against her cheek and she turns, nuzzling against him. “Today was a bit of a wakeup call.”

Her eyes glance up to meet his, “What happened today?”

 “I came to the realization that by trying not to hurt one person, I was hurting everyone else that I loved, including that person.” With a sigh he shakes his head and smiles, “And I was finally honest about the way I feel.”

“You…were?”

“I told Marian that I’m still in love with you.” He smiles softly, his blue eyes glittering, “I’m a free man—free to love whomever I choose.”

“But I thought…”Her breath catches and once more she feels a cautious smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, “What about Roland?”

“I can think of nothing better to teach my son than to follow his heart—and I am following mine to you.” He pauses, caressing the back of his hand gently against her cheek. “That is, if you’ll still have me.”

With a surge of emotion, she leans forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into a tight embrace. She holds on to him—pressing herself into him—and closes her eyes, pushing away the warm tears that are beginning to well. “I love you, too.”

She feels him hug her closer and she feels his lips press into her hair, and all of the sudden, she can’t help but laugh. He pulls back slightly, his blue eyes soft and quizzical. “I’m sorry,” she says, as her bottom lip catches between her teeth. “I just…I think this may be the first time I’ve been grateful for Henry’s stubbornness…and I can’t believe this little stunt of his _worked_.”

Leaning in, he kisses her forehead, “Should we go inform the boys of their success, then?”

“No,” she murmurs, as she pulls his arms around her waist. “Not just yet.” She grins, “I mean, we can’t let them think it was _that_ easy.”

“Then what do you suggest we do instead?”

Leaning in she brushes her lips over his, “Oh, I think we’ll manage to come up with a thing or two.” She smiles as she captures his lips in hers, savoring the warmth of his breath and the taste of his lips, and relishing in the thought that time is finally on their side.


End file.
